Protect The Eagles

March 20, 1990

We almost eradicated the bald eagle a few years ago with the heavy use of DDT. Before it was banned, this pesticide brought our national symbol close to extinction. Now there's another danger: development.

Habitat loss from development could accelerate if the federal government goes through with plans to remove the bald eagle from the list of endangered species. While the eagle population has rebounded in some places, now is not the time to give developers an all-clear sign, especially in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Eagles are among our largest and most powerful birds. They are usually depicted as fierce fowl but are actually rather afraid of humans. Hence, they like to build nests in rural areas near water, which, unfortunately, is exactly the type of area fun-loving humans head for in droves.

The watershed of the bay is experiencing a population boom, one that's expected to continue well into the next century. Alarmed over what this development might mean to the bay environment, the General Assembly has empowered a special commission to look into ways to manage this phenomenal growth.

Bald eagles have literally clawed their way back after the DDT assault. In the bay region alone they have grown from 65 breeding pairs in 1977 to 190 today. But now is no time to abandon them to developers. Eagles cannot compete on an equal footing with bulldozers, motorboats, condos and shopping centers.

Our national symbol is still an endangered species, and will be more so in the future.